Arnold family
Encyclopedia
The Arnold family is an American political and military family with ties to New England
, Georgia
and Ohio
. The descendents of American Revolutionary War
general Benedict Arnold
in Great Britain
, while not particularly politically active, also achieved notable success in the 19th century.
and Ilchester
in County Somerset
, England
by his first wife Alice Gully. William was born in Ilchester on 24 Jun 1587, and all four of his children were also born there. In 1622 he was the warden of St. Mary's Church in Ilchester, and remained in that town until immigrating to New England
in 1635. One remarkable aspect of his emmigration from England is that he had copied baptismal records from the parish registers of Northover and Ilchester and brought these with him to the New World, beginning a record that would eventually encompass six generations of his family. In New England William Arnold first settled in Hingham
in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
, but within a year joined Roger Williams
in founding the settlement of Providence
on the Narraganset Bay. By 1638 William had moved to the Pawtuxet River
, five miles south of Providence, and lived there the remainder of his life, dying some time in 1675 or 1676 during the turmoil of King Philip's War
. William's son Benedict Arnold
was the first Governor of Rhode Island
under the royal charter of 1663.
Other members of the Arnold family came to Boston from England in 1687. The. Rev. William George Arnold, a minister, was charged with the task of establishing a parish of the official religion of England, the Church of England
in Boston
. Upon arrival he found he was disliked in Boston and quickly learned that no one would sell land for the construction of a church that was not Puritan
. He established King's Chapel
in Boston in 1689 on public land. William was soon followed from England by his brother Edward Arnold, who opened a successful general store in Boston.
Edward Arnold brought two daughters with him from England. The older of the pair, Charlotte, married the Puritan minster Ebenezer Punderson in 1730. He was a Yale
graduate and was ordained as a Puritan minister in 1729 and began serving as the minister of the Congregational Church in North Groton (now Ledyard
), Connecticut
. It seems that her Church of England upbringing and beliefs made an impression on her husband, as he announced his intention to be ordained in the Church of England and left his Congressional Church and was ordained in London in 1734. He erected a parish of the Church of England in Preston, Connecticut in 1735 and at a service attended by William and Edward Arnold the place was consecrated St. James' Church.
Upon the 1737 death of William Arnold, many of his children moved to Connecticut near Preston and St. James' Church where the climate for Church of England members was less harsh. The family prospered in Connecticut and married well. One of Gov. Benedict Arnold's descendants Benedict III married his cousin Mary Arnold (who was descended from the William George side of the family) and gained control of the family estate in Norwich. They named their first son Benedict IV, who died in infancy. Their second son, Benedict Arnold V
, became a general and war hero but is now best known as an infamous turn-coat for his treasonous attempt to surrender West Point and subsequent flight to the British side during the war.
During the American Revolution
the family became active in politics. The William George Arnold side of the family remained fiercely loyal to English rule while the Benedict side favored independence. Jonathan Arnold
(1741–1793) became a member of the Rhode Island Legislature in 1776 and then a delegate to the Continental Congress
from Rhode Island from 1782 to 1784.
After the revolution much of the family left New England for Savannah, Georgia
, where they opened a number of mills. The Savannah branch of the family remained active in politics until the American Civil War
.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The descendents of American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
general Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, while not particularly politically active, also achieved notable success in the 19th century.
History
William Arnold was one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and one of the 13 original settlers of Providence. He was the son of Nicholas Arnold of NorthoverNorthover
-Canada:*Mount Northover, on the border of Alberta and British Columbia, named after A. W. Northover-England:*Northover, a suburb of Ilchester, Somerset, at **Church of St Andrew, Northover*Northover, on the outskirts of Glastonbury, Somerset, at .-People:...
and Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
in County Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by his first wife Alice Gully. William was born in Ilchester on 24 Jun 1587, and all four of his children were also born there. In 1622 he was the warden of St. Mary's Church in Ilchester, and remained in that town until immigrating to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in 1635. One remarkable aspect of his emmigration from England is that he had copied baptismal records from the parish registers of Northover and Ilchester and brought these with him to the New World, beginning a record that would eventually encompass six generations of his family. In New England William Arnold first settled in Hingham
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
, but within a year joined Roger Williams
Roger Williams
-People:* Roger Williams , Welsh soldier of fortune* Roger Williams , English theologian, co-founder of Rhode Island* Roger Williams , US actor...
in founding the settlement of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
on the Narraganset Bay. By 1638 William had moved to the Pawtuxet River
Pawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows and drains a watershed of . There are four dams along the river's length.-Course:...
, five miles south of Providence, and lived there the remainder of his life, dying some time in 1675 or 1676 during the turmoil of King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
. William's son Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold (governor)
Benedict Arnold was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. Coming from Somerset, England, he was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, likely attending school in Limington, nearby...
was the first Governor of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
under the royal charter of 1663.
Other members of the Arnold family came to Boston from England in 1687. The. Rev. William George Arnold, a minister, was charged with the task of establishing a parish of the official religion of England, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Upon arrival he found he was disliked in Boston and quickly learned that no one would sell land for the construction of a church that was not Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
. He established King's Chapel
King's Chapel
King's Chapel is "an independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association" that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in what was formerly called "Stone Chapel", an 18th century...
in Boston in 1689 on public land. William was soon followed from England by his brother Edward Arnold, who opened a successful general store in Boston.
Edward Arnold brought two daughters with him from England. The older of the pair, Charlotte, married the Puritan minster Ebenezer Punderson in 1730. He was a Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
graduate and was ordained as a Puritan minister in 1729 and began serving as the minister of the Congregational Church in North Groton (now Ledyard
Ledyard, Connecticut
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,687 people, 5,286 households, and 4,101 families residing in the town. The population density was 385.1 people per square mile . There were 5,486 housing units at an average density of 143.8 per square mile...
), Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It seems that her Church of England upbringing and beliefs made an impression on her husband, as he announced his intention to be ordained in the Church of England and left his Congressional Church and was ordained in London in 1734. He erected a parish of the Church of England in Preston, Connecticut in 1735 and at a service attended by William and Edward Arnold the place was consecrated St. James' Church.
Upon the 1737 death of William Arnold, many of his children moved to Connecticut near Preston and St. James' Church where the climate for Church of England members was less harsh. The family prospered in Connecticut and married well. One of Gov. Benedict Arnold's descendants Benedict III married his cousin Mary Arnold (who was descended from the William George side of the family) and gained control of the family estate in Norwich. They named their first son Benedict IV, who died in infancy. Their second son, Benedict Arnold V
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, became a general and war hero but is now best known as an infamous turn-coat for his treasonous attempt to surrender West Point and subsequent flight to the British side during the war.
During the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
the family became active in politics. The William George Arnold side of the family remained fiercely loyal to English rule while the Benedict side favored independence. Jonathan Arnold
Jonathan Arnold
Jonathan Arnold was an American physician and statesman from New England. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Arnold served in the Continental Army as a surgeon, and directed the army hospital at Providence. He represented Rhode Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782 and...
(1741–1793) became a member of the Rhode Island Legislature in 1776 and then a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
from Rhode Island from 1782 to 1784.
After the revolution much of the family left New England for Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, where they opened a number of mills. The Savannah branch of the family remained active in politics until the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Surname Arnold (New England families)
- Benedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold (governor)Benedict Arnold was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. Coming from Somerset, England, he was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, likely attending school in Limington, nearby...
(1615-1678), the first colonial governor of Rhode Island - Benedict ArnoldBenedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
(1741-1801), American traitor and British general during the American Revolutionary War - Isaac Newton Arnold (1815-1884), member of U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and President of the Chicago Historical Society, wrote biographies of Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Benedict Arnold.
- James N. Arnold, compiled and published a massive collection of Rhode Island vital records.
- Jonathan ArnoldJonathan ArnoldJonathan Arnold was an American physician and statesman from New England. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Arnold served in the Continental Army as a surgeon, and directed the army hospital at Providence. He represented Rhode Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782 and...
(1741–1793), member of the Rhode Island Legislature 1776, Delegate to the Continental Congress from Rhode Island 1782-1784, Vermont Governor's Councilman, Vermont State Court Judge. - Kelley Arnold (1910-2003), Brigadier General, Assistant Division Commander, Adjutant General & Chief of Staff of the 49th Armored Division 1965-1970, Texas Military Forces Hall of Honor, Camp Mabry, TX
- Henry H. ArnoldHenry H. ArnoldHenry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
(1886-1950), the only US Air Force General to be given the five-star rank (General of the Air Force); he learned to fly from the Wright BrothersWright brothersThe Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
. - Lemuel H. ArnoldLemuel H. ArnoldLemuel Hastings Arnold was the 12th Governor of the State of Rhode Island, as well as a U.S. Congressman.He was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont to Dr. Jonathan & Cynthia Arnold....
(1792-1852), Rhode Island State Representative 1826, Governor of Rhode Island 1831-1833, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. Son of Jonathan Arnold. - Richard ArnoldRichard Arnold (general)Richard Arnold was a career U.S. Army officer who served as a brigadier general in the Union forces during the American Civil War...
(1828-1882), US Army General during the Civil War - Richard Dennis Arnold, M.D., physician, charter member of the American Medical Society, 5-term mayor and 4-term alderman of Savannah, Georgia, charter member of the Georgia Historical Society, and newspaper editor of The Georgian with partner William H. Bulloch. Arnold was mayor of Savannah during American Civil War (surrendering the City of Savannah to Union General William T. Sherman), and charter member of the first Board of Education.
- Samuel G. ArnoldSamuel G. ArnoldSamuel Greene Arnold, Jr. was a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, he received his early education under private tutors, and graduated from Brown University in 1841 and, in 1845, the law department of Harvard University, gaining admission to the bar that year...
(1821-1880), Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island 1852-1853 1861-1862, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1862-1863. Granduncle of Theodore F. Green. - William Arnold (1587 - 1675/76), one of the founding settlers of Rhode Island, appeared on the initial deed for Providence signed by Roger Williams in 1638; established the settlement of Pawtuxet, becoming the first settler in what is now Cranston, Rhode Island. He was the father of Governor Benedict Arnold.
Other surnames
- Theodore F. GreenTheodore F. GreenTheodore Francis Green was an American politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island and in the United States Senate . He was the grandnephew of Samuel G...
(1867-1966), Rhode Island State Representative 1907-1908, candidate for Governor of Rhode Island 1912 1928 1930, Governor of Rhode Island 1933-1937, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1938-1961, Democratic National Committeeman 1936. Great-great-grandson of Jonathan Arnold.